FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE NO. 72-09
WEST POINT SELECTS CADET FIRST CAPTAIN – Aug. 13, 2009
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Cadet Tyler R. Gordy, the son of Linda and Jeff Schweig, of Newcastle, Calif., has been selected First Captain of the U.S. Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets for the 2009-2010 academic year, which begins Aug. 17, achieving the highest position in the cadet chain-of-command.
Gordy graduated from Lincoln High School in 2002 and then joined the Army.
As First Captain, Gordy, a comparative politics major, is responsible for the overall performance of the approximately 4,400 member Corps of Cadets. He follows in the footsteps of other notable First Captains such as John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur and William Westmoreland.
“Cadet Tyler Gordy has an exceptional reputation within the Corps of Cadets because of his experience as a Soldier and non-commissioned officer,” said Brigade Tactical Officer Col. Mark J. McKearn. “He was selected as the First Captain based on his outstanding record in underclass leadership positions during his first three years at the academy and, most recently, as the 2009 Cadet Basic Training ‘King of Beast.’”
He assumed his duties as First Captain on Aug. 10, which marked the completion of Cadet Basic Training for the Class of 2013.
The First Captain, a senior who is also called the Brigade Commander, is similar to a student body president. His duties include implementing a class agenda and acting as a liaison between the Corps and the administration. In addition, Gordy is at the top of a pyramid of cadet commanders who make up the chain-of-command for the Corps of Cadets at West Point.
Gordy is a former sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment and was a scout sniper for the last year and a half of his three years in the Army before he attended the U.S. Military Preparatory School at Fort Monmouth, N.J., for a year, graduating in 2006.
Gordy received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while deployed with the 101st during Operation Iraqi Freedom I. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device for his actions while deployed.About West Point
West Point, The U.S. Military Academy, is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City. The world's preeminent leader development institution, it was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering. Its mission remains constant-to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu